Pasadena mayoral candidates seek to move city past deep...

2of3Political signs fill the sidewalk in front of the Pasadena City Hall in wait for Saturday's election.Photo: Mark Mulligan, Staff Photographer

3of3Racial issues, including a redistricting plan that was overturned by a judge in 2013, continue to plague Pasadena, where two-thirds of residents are Hispanic or Latino.﻿Photo: Mark Mulligan, Staff Photographer

As Saturday's city elections near, Pasadena's identity - and its future - are newly in flux.

Mayor Johnny Isbell is term-limited, and a redistricting plan that he'd championed lies in tatters after a federal judge found earlier this year that it intentionally violated the voting rights of Latino residents.

Seven candidates - ranging from a former banker to a city council member once escorted out of a council meeting by police at Isbell's behest - now seek to fill the void being left by the mayor's coming exit.

Pasadena is far from the honky-tonk town portrayed in the 1980 John Travolta film "Urban Cowboy," and the hard-fought campaign reflects the changes in an increasingly diverse, working-class city defined by deep divisions. Many have arisen from the battles between Isbell and his allies and those who opposed him. The campaign also has demographic fault lines, pitting the city's largely Hispanic north side against the more affluent, Anglo southern part.

"I believe it's a pivotal time in this city's history - that it can either draw together and continue being one city, or it can divide apart and be fractured," said John Moon Jr., a commercial real estate agent who grew up in Pasadena and worked as a banker for more than 30 years.

In addition to Moon, the field of candidates includes Pasadena city council members Pat Van Houte and Jeff Wagner; Robert Talton, who served as a state representative from 1993 to 2009; Gilbert Peña, who represented the same district from 2015 until 2017; David Flores, a former city employee who runs a Pasadena-based construction business; and Gloria Gallegos, an assistant superintendent with the Pasadena Independent School District.

If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, which some say is likely, there will be a runoff election.

Isbell did not respond to requests for comment.

Racial tension

The mayoral and city council elections come as the city has become a flashpoint recently in conflicts over racial tensions and access to the ballot box. Nearly two-thirds of city residents are Hispanic or Latino, up from less than one-third in 1990.

In a closely watched case, Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal ruled in January that the city intentionally violated the rights of Hispanic voters with a redistricting scheme pushed through three years ago by the controversial Isbell, who has led the city with an iron fist on and off for decades.

The judge ordered the city to revert back to a 2013 election map that uses eight single-member districts, instead of relying on the six single-member and two at-large districts that the judge found unconstitutional. All eight council seats are also up for election.

This week, Harris County officials confirmed that observers from the U.S. Department of Justice would be present in the city on Saturday to ensure the election's integrity. The Justice Department declined to provide details about the observers Wednesday, but county officials said they would arrive Friday and be present for voting.

"I think the race is very significant," said Michael Adams, a Texas Southern University political scientist. "I think it could become kind of a test case for a national fight for voting rights, and also I think that it places Pasadena on the front lines of the fight for fair and constitutional redistricting."

As the seven mayoral candidates have vied to lead Pasadena in the post-Isbell era, some have taken their campaigns to the predominantly Latino neighborhoods on the city's north side, walking blocks to meet voters.

"The city has been divided for way to long," said Flores, who at 33 is the youngest mayoral candidate. "The north side has been ignored a lot. It was time for someone to represent both sides equally."

Central to the campaign is whether or not the next mayor will continue the city's costly legal appeal of Judge Rosenthal's decision, seen as a symbol of the city's purported neglect of its Latino residents.

Most of the candidates said they would push to drop the appeal of Rosenthal's January ruling, reflecting a backlash to Isbell's tactics.

"I was totally against it when it was first passed, and I was totally against the redistricting," Peña said. "I did everything I could to stop it. So, I would definitely stop the appeals."

Wagner stopped short of such a commitment, saying he would check with the city council.

Candidates' concerns

The candidates are stressing different issues.

Talton is campaigning for increased investment in the city's police and fire departments and senior services. Moon wants a five-year capital improvement plan. Gallegos, based on her experience with the school district, is pushing workforce development programs to bring people out of the city's growing poverty.

Peña has said he will invest in programs to grow small businesses. Flores is calling for city departments to formally justify funding requests. Flores has five misdemeanor convictions from 2001 to 2004, including for theft, assault and evading arrest, and giving a false name to a police officer. He said his trouble with the law helped spur a commitment to public service.

Van Houte, among others, calls for increased transparency among the city and touts her ability to speak English and Spanish as a means to better communicate with voters. She once was escorted from a council meeting after questioning Isbell's redistricting plan.

Wagner emphasized boosting employee morale.

But while there are differences in the candidates' priorities, all emphasize a strong need to break from the past, including what some have described as a "political machine" associated with Isbell.

"That machine is not alive and well right now, without a doubt," Wagner said. "In the past, I'm sure they had it. But, this is a new day."

It's unclear whether the alleged disparate treatment of Latino residents will result in higher turnout by Hispanic voters. Historically, Hispanic voters have turned out at lower rates than white voters.

As of Tuesday, just more than 3,200 had cast ballots at Pasadena City Hall, which University of Houston political scientist Brandon Rottinghaus said was high. Rottinghaus said roughly 50 percent of voters come out to early voting, with another 50 percent on Election Day. In 2013, the number who cast ballots early was 1,327, according to city records.

Fundraising disparities

Still, some candidates are already expressing dismay at this election's totals.

"Maybe they'll wait until Saturday and show up in droves," said candidate Peña. "I hope so because if they don't it going to be a poor showing for the Hispanic community that doesn't want to get involved and support Hispanic candidates, even if it's not me."

As sitting council members, Wagner and Van Houte have solid political bases and are considered the front-runners. But Wagner has the clear fundraising edge, reporting a total of $103,680 in contributions during the campaign, including a $2,500 contribution from Isbell's son, J.J. Isbell.

Wagner has raised more than five times as much as the candidate with the next-largest warchest, Moon, the former banker who has also been a San Jacinto College trustee since 2009. He has taken in $18,570.

Of the remaining candidates, Talton raised $18,550; Flores, $13,126; and Gallegos,$12,800 (including a $10,000 donation from the Latino Texas PAC). Peña self-funded his campaign with $7,809. Van Houte pulled in the lowest totals, with $1,300 in contributions.